in the year, he originated the role of Don Alhambra in the first Australian production of The Gondoliers. A reviewer for The Argus wrote, "He makes every point tell, and he restrains his propensity to grimace, with considerable advantage to the character he assumes, and without diminishing its sombre and saturnine humour." After that, among many other works, Vernon appeared as the dissolute Duke in La Cigale by Edmond Audran and F. C. Burnand, in 1892. Vernon's singing voice deteriorated as he grew older, but his rendering of patter songs remained very good, as his diction was admirably clear. After a brief retirement, he returned to play King Gama in a 1905 revival of Princess Ida. In 1906 he played King Paramount in Utopia, Limited; the Melbourne Age felt that he was no longer equal to the vocal demands of this role, but The Daily News in Perth had no complaint about his singing, and said: Afterwards he and his wife travelled with a company in New Zealand and played for some years in Great Britain and continental Europe. They returned to Australia in 1914, where he retired from the stage, operating a book shop in Richmond, Victoria. In 1920 the J. C. Williamson company gave a benefit performance of The Mikado for him. He was to have played Ko-Ko, but his health did not allow it, although he attended the performance and made a speech of thanks. He died in Prahran, Victoria, near Melbourne, on 26 July 1921. He is buried in Brighton Cemetery. Family On 2 February 1870, aged 21, as Norman Letville, he married an actress, Mary Jane Walker (died 12 May 1905) at the Alfred Hospital. They had nine children, but at the time of her death, she was the mother of Richard, Alice, Jack, Lima and Iris Vernon. Vernon's son or stepson, Richard Victor Prince Lett (aka Victor Prince) was an actor. He married Florence ("Tot") Evesson, a daughter of Charles Evesson of Woollahra, on 26 April 1905. They had a daughter, Victoria Prince. He died 2 July 1947. Another reference has him born to Mary Jane Walker in 1879 in Hong Kong. Alice Vernon was also a singer and actor in Gilbert and Sullivan operas, appearing as "Miss Esther Castles". She died 16 September 1907. Norman Richard Vernon, another son, was perhaps not of Mary Vernon; he was associated with the Howard Vernon company,